What are the best tires for the S3

[dannyblues3]

I have finally just bought myself an 02 plate S3 on the standard 17" rims with new Federal SS535 on front and Michelin Pilot Sports on the rear.

Thinking that it was designed to under steer a tad a thought nothing of it until i rotated the tires front to back to find that the Michelin's offer so much more grip and the under steer is greatly reduced.

My questions to all you S3 owners is... what do you recon to be the best boots for grip in the both wet and dry??

Ess Three - you mention a lot about other mods to enhance handling, what do you run yours on?

Thanks in advanced.
Danny

 

[buckas]

[SIZE=-1]they came with Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 originally IIRC

i've michelin pilot primacy's on mine
[/SIZE]

 

[dannyblues3]

The Goodyear Eagle F1 were my first thought... How do you rate the Pilot Primacy's against the F1's?

 

[Blunteh]

Michelin Pilot Sport 2s here....

I was under the impression that Michelin Pilot Sports (the previous version) were the stock tyres.

 

[joe6886]

Theres alot of threads on this already if you search.

On mine at the mo I have Michelin Pilots which were on when I bought it, think i'm gona go for Bridgestones when these are shot.

 

[Buster]

I'm running Eagle F1's. Very good tyre, preffer them to the Bridgestones that I had before

 

[voorhees]

I'm on the Eagle F1s but getting some michelin pilot sport 2's to see how they are as a change of alloy is in the pipeline
I find trying the search option a waste of time as you have to sift through the dross,best just asking to save time and also new tyres are being brought out all the time so you might see a discontinued tyre on a search

 

[dannyblues3]

Ok guys, thanks for the feedback... I think i will go for a set of F1's but also nice to know that the Michelin Pilots are also fond of clining to the black stuff!

This is my first 4x4 car and i can't beleive how well it handles! from what i read it can only get better with mods ... surely it's easier to just use superglue huh?

 

[ChriS3]

I followed a postman around for two weeks. I collected all his rubber bands, then stetched them around the rim - great cheap tyres.


Then I learnt how to use the search function....

 

[S3Steve]

I followed a postman around for two weeks. I collected all his rubber bands, then stetched them around the rim - great cheap tyres.


Then I learnt how to use the search function....

Now now, he is new to the forum after all.

I highly recomend Yokohama Parada's and im sure Chris will agree(if you search through the old posts, that is)

 

[simch]

pretty pleased with my toyo t1Rrs, have to say better all round IMO than the Goodyear GSD3s F1s i had on before... cheap too off mytyres.com

 

[ChriS3]

Now now, he is new to the forum after all.

I highly recomend Yokohama Parada's and im sure Chris will agree(if you search through the old posts, that is)

Brilliant tyres, but next time I think I'm going to try Yoko A048R's, or Toyo R888's

 

[buckas]

The Goodyear Eagle F1 were my first thought... How do you rate the Pilot Primacy's against the F1's?

haven't noticed any difference to be honest - both do a great job in dry + wet

only thing imho, goodyears' tread patterning looks nicer lol

drew

 

[nky_84]

Brilliant tyres, but next time I think I'm going to try Yoko A048R's, or Toyo R888's

A048's are amzing tyres, got them on my mini, 12" wheels, £60 a tyre, id multiply that price by at least 3 for 18's though!!
Meant to be a bit iffy in the wet but my mate did a race in semi wet conditions an said they were ok.

 

[ChriS3]

A048's are amzing tyres, got them on my mini, 12" wheels, £60 a tyre, id multiply that price by at least 3 for 18's though!!
Meant to be a bit iffy in the wet but my mate did a race in semi wet conditions an said they were ok.

Yup, 18" A048Rs are about £180. I'm thinking of a set of them for the summer tyres. Also considering the R888s for the show wheels (£250 each ).

 

[jonS3]

Michelin Pilot SPORT 225/45 ZR17 91Y Rim-protection, B

these are the OEM S3 Tyre I believe, they have to have the B on the sidewall

 

[ChriS3]

Michelin Pilot SPORT 225/45 ZR17 91Y Rim-protection, B

these are the OEM S3 Tyre I believe, they have to have the B on the sidewall

Whatever tyres you get, they need to be 'Extra Load' tyres. The tyres that came on mine were Bridgestone Potenza S03's (17"). It still had the balding original tyres on when I bought it.

 

[BrianM]

New Goodyear GSD3s F1s are going on the front of my Bluefinned 2.0TDi today to replace the pathetic Maxxis that the Audi dealer fitted when I bought the car, taken me 15k miles to turn them into slicks! £104 each fitted from the local Ford dealer..seems a result to me. Should new tyres go on the front or back on FWD, seems to be lots of conflicting opinions but i'm working on front end grip. Will be fitting another new pair next month after a further 3k miles.

 

[nky_84]

Whatever tyres you get, they need to be 'Extra Load' tyres. The tyres that came on mine were Bridgestone Potenza S03's (17"). It still had the balding original tyres on when I bought it.

What are these extra load tyres, and why are they needed on the s3?

 

[madvw]

you dont need extra load, but they are a nice to have. They have a stiffer side wall for a nicer feel, nicer turn in, and cost about 10-15 more a corner.

I went through a whole argument with this when i replaced mine last year, and all the advice back was that XL's aren't mandatory on the S3.

 

[nky_84]

Should new tyres go on the front or back on FWD, seems to be lots of conflicting opinions but i'm working on front end grip. Will be fitting another new pair next month after a further 3k miles.

Depends on your driving style and what you want from the car. For "safety" reasons new tyres should go on the back, to prevent oversteer. However if you know what your doing in a fwd and can react quickly or are aware of lift off oversteer etc,and want lots of front end grip, then put them on the front.

I had pretty much a slick on the back left of my old 306 and could perfect the art of going round roundabouts looking out the side window. Dont go overboard though, i spun once when it kicked back the other way and couldnt get the opposite lock off in time, calmed down a bit after that when i realised i wasnt quite as good as Walt Rohl and the like.

Not had the balls to have a go in the s3 yet, most of the roundabouts it will probably just understeer or do a slight neutral drift, but there are a few really slippy ones where the camber is against you and i reckon the s3 would kick its **** out if you let it.

 

[Kef9]

I run Pirelli P Zero's

 

[S3Steve]

Brilliant tyres, but next time I think I'm going to try Yoko A048R's, or Toyo R888's

Even more extreme, I like it, but what wheels are they going onto then, when are we gonna see these new wheels youve mentioned.

 

[Slick S3]

i run dunlop sp 9000, very pleased with them indeed.

 

[sitrials]

i've had dunlop sp9000s on my polo stuck like glue!
tried maxxis maz1 (i think) on my a4 they stuck even better and were cheaper than the dunlops
i'm currently on toyo t1s but i've never liked them, going back to the maxxis when i change them.
all from mytyres.com:icon_thumright:

 

[ADP]

Fitted a full set of Bridgestone Potenzas yesterday - got caught out on the motorway with a puncture as the front near side destroyed itself on the inside edge - both were really badly worn (the car is new to me and I really hadnt noticed they were THAT bad) - so annoyingly I had to pay Kwik Fit prices However they seem good even if my wallet is lighter than it should have been. Im off to Micheldever Tyres to get the alignment checked as they should not have worn like this.

 

[djmotorsport]

On my second set of Avon ZZ3's - A little bit understeery in the wet, but very progressive.

 

[fasteddie]

I wanted the F1's all round however when I fitted them to the front I found my car had very good balance withthe Bridgestones on the rear. At the limit they both let go at a similar pace so I dont get the understeer usually associated with an S3. Worth a go to use your existing tyres on the rear and the F1s on the front for a while.

 

[ChriS3]

Even more extreme, I like it, but what wheels are they going onto then, when are we gonna see these new wheels youve mentioned.

Still need the tyres, but you get the idea....

 

[nky_84]

Fitted a full set of Bridgestone Potenzas yesterday - got caught out on the motorway with a puncture as the front near side destroyed itself on the inside edge - both were really badly worn (the car is new to me and I really hadnt noticed they were THAT bad) - so annoyingly I had to pay Kwik Fit prices However they seem good even if my wallet is lighter than it should have been. Im off to Micheldever Tyres to get the alignment checked as they should not have worn like this.

kwik fit price match....